There's going to be a P-A-R-T-Y!!!

Madison is turning one! I can't believe that a whole year has gone by! It really has flown by. Anyway... we are going to have a little birthday party with family and a few friends to celebrate! I made a cute little invitation to mail out to everyone, so I thought that I would put it in here to remeber... since this is my scrapbook at the moment! Anyway.... here it is!

So Bored!!!

Poor Madison... The problem with working at home is you always are either entertaining while trying to get your work done, or cleaning up after you have been distracted and they have had to entertain themself. Well... this was one of those moments. I was just trying to finish up one thing before playing with Madison. I saw out of the corner of my eye that she had gotten a hold of the diaper bag. She has an obsession (like every baby) of pulling EVERYTHING out of the diaper bag, my wallet, my purse, my work bag... basically anything that holds anything. Well I turned around to see what she was doing because she was really being quite. I turned to see that she had found some crackers and was just having a little snack! She is such a funny kid! I love her!

*WALKNG!!!

I had to put this picture in here.... don't they both just look thrilled? We had to take Sadie to the vet and I pulled the camera out. Brice just looked at me like "Are you kidding?" They just looked so cute sitting together. Anyway... the reason for the picture (besides they are so cute) is this is the offical "I am walking all by myself" day. Madi was all over the vet's office. She is still a little shakie and unsure... but she has it down! I can't believe she is walking! HELP!!! I am in so much trouble!!!

So if you had to guess who her daddy was... do you think you could figure it out? :) It's good I have a scar!

*Sweet Sadie the foot rest!

Madison and I were sitting on the couch the other day. Sadie likes to be part of the family and we have a blanket on the couch right by where I sit where she lays. Well I looked over and Madison is just chillin on the couch using Sadie as her foot rest! It made me laugh... she thinks she is so funny. Crazy girl. We are lucky that Sadie is such a sweet dog.

*11 Months!!!! (She is almost one!)

I LOVE THIS SCHRUNCHIE FACE!!!

Almost walking!

"OH! Mom... Look! Ducks!!"

Madi talking to the ducks!

Time is going so quickly! I am not ready for Madi to be 11 months old. I am so not ready for her to turn one next month. She is VERY mobile. The girl gets around. Church has now become not quite the learning venue for me. It is just another place for me to try and keep Madi out of trouble. Three days after Madi started crawling she started "cruising" around, and the girl hasn't stopped yet. I keep saying that she thinks "it took long enough for me to get to this earth... I'm not wasting any time. I got to get this body figured out so I can get onto bigger things!"

Taking pictures has become more difficult as well. I especially noticed that this month. Just as I get her posed I will take a quick step back and get the camera held up to my eye and she has moved already! I think my days of posed shots are gone for a while. They will have to be true life shots. Catching what Madi does best!

Madison you are becoming more and more fun with each passing day. I so look forward to each day with you! I am so thankful that I am able to spend as much time with you as I do. I'm especially grateful to have the opportunity to be your steward! I hope we will always be close. You have brought so much to my life... so many things that I didn't even know where missing.

I'm sorry that I take so many pictures of you. I just always want to remember all your cute faces and actions. One day you will thank me for them though! Sorry to all of you who follow my blog for all of the pictures of her. Come to think of it though that is probably why you come to my blog... to see how Madi is. Oh well... she is so cute, my baby and honestly the best subject matter that I have the desire to photograph! I'm just honing my skills! :)

*Enough!

It happens before you know it. It comes on a little at a time until finally one day you look and say "How did this happen to me?" I have been asking that question for some time now and I have got to do something about it!

After Brice and I got married I started putting on weight. I had gained about 30 pounds and it was stuck! The fact that I wasn't really eating healthy or exercising on a regular basis didn't help to unstick it either. :) I then got pregnant. I gained another 40 pounds in baby weight. A lot of which was water weight gain, but nevertheless I looked like a small house. The baby weight came off quickly. By the time that Madison was three months old I was back to my pre-baby weight. However I still had the 30 pounds to take off.

Weight for me has been a battle that I have been fighting all my life. I remember being in Jr. High and getting up at 5am to exercise. I have always had a little pooch of a tummy and rather large legs. I have never had a cute little body. It is something that I have always wanted though!

As summer started approaching i didn't fit into any of my shorts. I had had enough. I didn't want to buy any new clothes because I didn't want to buy a bigger size. And so the summer progressed. I had finally decided on a diet plan, but every time I would get started something came up and I once again fell of the bang wagon.

Brice went to California for a business trip at the end of August. Madison, Mom and I went along with him. I told Brice that when we got home I was really going to be serious and diet. I was tired of looking at myself in pictures. Plus the fact that I didn't want to be a fat mommy for Madison.

We got home from CA on Sunday, and Monday I started. I hate dieting! That is why I am the size that I am! What's funny is that I never have an appetite. I don't really have food cravings or hunger. However when I am dieting EVERYTHING sounds good and I want to eat EVERYTHING! I just keep telling myself that I can do it! That is another reason I always fail at dieting. I sabatage myself!

(This was taken of me and Brice while just in Cali)

For Mother's day I got a wii Fit. It really is amazing how much a video game can work your muscles! It is great though because I can do it in the morning, or once I put Madison down for a nap. It's even more difficult to exercise with a baby! Brice came home the other day and asked me if I would like him to get my bike down and fix it up so we could go ride bikes. I thought that would be great. Brice needs to exercise too and then we can get out in the outdoors as well. We found a fun little bike trailor and it has been a lot of fun! Anytime you can make exercise fun... that would be a good thing! So here's to hoping that I can make it to my goal. My ultimate goal is to be a pant size 8 and weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 145. I am just going to start with losing 30 pounds to begin with! I'll keep you updated!

*Cousins

Recently I have reconnected with my father's brother, Chris. I haven't had much interaction with this uncle since my father was killed in 1984. It has been really great getting to know my uncle, and my dad (through my uncles eyes/memories). Anyway, Drea and her little boy Jake were up from CA for the month. Uncle Chris texted me one evening and asked if we could go to lunch today. It was really fun to see everyone. Drea's little boy just turned one and Chris' daughter-in-law has a one year old as well. It was fun to see them all together, and Uncle Chris is so cute with all of them! I would really like to get to know this side of the family! Hopefully at Christmas we will all be able to get together again! Anyway..just thought I would add this picture.